1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to toilet lid locks and, more particularly, to an improved toilet lid lock that automatically locks once the toilet lid is lowered.
2. Description of the Related Art
Everyone desires to provide a safe and secure household for their children. However, a home presents various dangerous environments for curious unsupervised children. One such situation involves the toilet and the toilet lid.
An open toilet seat is an invitation for an accident that could be hazardous to young children. There is a risk that small children could potentially fall into the bowl and drown. There is also a risk that small children could injure themselves by either lifting the lid and seat or by the lid and seat falling on the child. Additionally, there is a concern with the unsanitary water in the bowl. Often times children throw their toys into the toilet and then want to play with their toys.
The prior art has not yet provided an optimal solution for an economical, safe, easy to use and easy to install toilet lock. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,833,737 to Boucher et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,776 to Burt each disclose a multiple piece toilet lock that is mounted to the exterior of the toilet bowl by an adhesive. The disadvantage using an adhesive is that the adhesive wears out with time and weakens as a result of the temperature and humidity in the bathroom. The toilet locks disclosed in these patents are also difficult to install because of the requirement for exact placement when attaching the lock pieces with the adhesive. Further, the toilet lock taught by the Burt '776 patent requires one piece to be bolted to the toilet lid. This permanent modification to the lid is undesirable because it precludes using a toilet seat cover and could injure an individual sitting on the toilet.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,724,551 to Gardner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,695 to Camp, U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,273 to Raden et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5 4,395,784 to Foster teach toilet locks that include small lock actuating components thereby making the toilet locks difficult to use. Furthermore, once the devices of the Gardner '551 and Camp '695 patents are placed in an unlocked position, each of the disclosed toilet locks remains unlocked until the user locks the toilet lock. Failure to manually reset the toilet lock defeats its purpose.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,663 to Yost teaches a toilet lock that is not capable of being adjusted to accommodate various toilet lid thicknesses or covers. In addition, as with the devices of the Gardner '551 patent and the Foster '784 patent, a user must reach down to the proximity of the toilet seat hinge to release the lock. Such method of operation is inconvenient and potentially unsanitary.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toilet lid lock that is adjustable to fit a variety of toilet and toilet lid sizes.
It is an another object of the present invention to provide a toilet lid lock that keeps children and their toys out of the toilet bowl.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toilet lid lock which is fastened to the toilet and maintains the toilet lid in a generally closed configuration until the lock is released.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toilet lid lock that is easy for adults to use.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a toilet lid lock that automatically resets when the toilet lid is lowered to its horizontal position.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a toilet lid lock which is economical to manufacture and easy to install.